


Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

by Andarine_Lavellan



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Adamant Fortress, Angst, Dalish Elven Culture and Customs, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Halamshiral, Internal Conflict, Multi, My First Fanfic, No Sex, Protect Clan Lavellan, Rogue Lavellan - Freeform, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-11-04
Packaged: 2018-04-27 17:50:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5058109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andarine_Lavellan/pseuds/Andarine_Lavellan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Andarine Lavellan runs across all thedas to protect it's denizens from danger, but loses it when a certain piece of news arrives from Wycome informing her of something, better left in the past.</p>
<p>Or what happens when an incredibly happy and bubbly elf running around saving people reopens a wound from her past, made all the more critical thanks to the present situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Crestwood: The Maiden(Rift) of the Lake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [long_LIV_prairies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/long_LIV_prairies/gifts).



“ _Fenedhis_!” “Andarine!" Solas shouted as a piece of seaweed flew past him, narrowly missing his bald face. A happy little elf face popped beside him not seconds later, gleefully jumping up and down in the puddles found everywhere in crestwood now, thanks to the recent rain which had wreaked havoc across the region. “Oh but you never have any fuuuun!”, the elf said, in a surprisingly shrill voice. Solas huffed in annoyance, and Sera’s and Iron Bull’s badly stifled laughter was heard from a long way away.

They had been travelling Crestwood for a time now, the region mired in an apparently unending rain, and the ragtag bunch had encountered dragons, wyverns, giants, and bandits, all while trying to arrive to Caer Bronach, which according to the mayor was overrun by bandits, to close a rift that was spawning undead and terrorising the little village. As they walked, they could see the castle in the distance, no movement apparent from where they were, a distinct atmosphere of tranquility broken by the rolling thunder all around them. Sera broke the silence with a well timed “Friggin’ Andrastes’ tits…” The burst of laughter that followed took some tension out of the group, giving the group a little morale boost to reach their destination.

Night had fallen, and the Inquisition’s new banner flew over Caer Bronach. The Inquisitor and her team were resting after a perilous encounter in the caves they had found after emptying the dam, and exploring the ruins of Old Crestwood, demons and “Command” spirits included. The sounds of a practice battle and something that seemed like a stick hitting a tree, were it not for the exclamations of pain, rang across the keep, keeping everyone from sleeping. Andarine had gone to see the ravens that were being tended by Charter, and was now being pecked on her shoulder by Baron Plucky, Leliana’s favourite bird.

“Hey little guy! Is that for me?”

Baron Plucky immediately stopped pecking her and dropped a small message carrying the seal of the Vir Tanadahl on her outstretched hands. A note bearing the Inquisition’s banner was also attached to the message. Her hands eagerly opened the small message, which read, in a awfully stylised hand Andarine remembered as her Keeper’s:

_Da'len, I would not trouble you normally. You have enough on your shoulders, fighting ancient Tevinter Magisters while representing your people. Unfortunately, the rifts that plague this land have spread chaos and fear along with them, and many seek to take advantage of it. Bandits are attacking Clan Lavellan. The raiders are well armed and heavily armored, and they come in numbers our hunters cannot match. We had settled in a small unclaimed valley not far from Wycome, a safe place with few rifts—but these bandits may force us to seek a new home. If your Inquisition can help, you might save our clan much hardship. Dareth shiral._

_-Keeper Istimaethoriel Lavellan_

The small annexed note read, in a different style, a much shorter message, clearly of Leliana's making:

_Inquisitor, my scouts report that these are no ordinary bandits. It is imperative for you to return to Skyhold as soon as you can._

She contained the growing worry within her heart, and raced down the stairs to where the rest of her companions, friends, were at, and announced their return to Skyhold. "First thing tomorrow, we're heading back." _We cannot be late... There MUST be a way...  
_


	2. The Inquisitor goes to Wycome!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Inquisitor goes to Wycome to save his clan. Interesting developments ensue.
> 
> (If by interesting you mean horrible, yes)
> 
>  
> 
> Completely non-canon, but this is what I think should happen when the Inquisitor receives the news...
> 
> If not now, at least the following chapters will have some Sera/Lavellan angsty fluff
> 
> Enjoy my shittyness!

They took three days to return to Skyhold. At the end of the journey, Lavellan's attitude and his penchant for skipping rests and meals in favour of hard riding were already creating tension within the group, with Iron Bull chasing Sera through the road and hanging her upside down while Lavellan pleaded for him to free her, after he discovered a healthy amount of rashvine had been applied to the saddle of his horse.

They were now approaching Skyhold,the Inquisitor with a gaze that could melt stones, and the rest following as far back as possible, in case something they did sent a flurry of throwing knives dangerously near their heads. As soon as they had stepped down from the horses, Lavellan took of with an impressive speed, paying no heed of her current clothing and hygienic situation until she had reached the closed doors of the War Room. _They hadn't even arrived._

The advisers came as soon as they had gotten word of the Inquisitors arrival, but with a quick glance at her expression, they saw it had not been soon enough. After entering the War Room, Leliana gave Lavellan a piece of parchment with a few words scribbled on it. It had apparently come from Harding:

_Nightingale:_

_The bandits harassing the Inquisitor's clan are no simple brutes. They have been hired by Duke Antoine of Wycome, public ally of the inquisition. Investigating further possible motives._

_-Harding_

Her advisers glanced expectantly at her, gauging her reaction. They were never prepared by the loathing and anger-filled words Andarine spat as if they left a bitter taste on her mouth.

"I'll go protect them. And then kill the Duke. _Myself_ "

"But Inquisitor, you will be in danger!"

"Duke Antoine may have his motives. Let him at least explain, no?"

But she no longer cared about alliances or what the people made of them. She only cared about saving her clan.

"And what are the possible motives for a supposed ally attacking the family and clan of the very person she's allied with, Josephine?"

Her outburst showed no signs of stopping, as she continued to vent all the rage and despair she had accumulated during the trip.

  "If Empress Celene and Briala, which have already sworn to help us, attacked Antiva, what would you think? Would you resolve this through negotiation? or would you simply go and try to stop them by any means possible?"

"But... But Inquisitor!"

"No. I don't care."

Lavellan turned to look at Cullen, and announced in a matter-of-fact voice: "Cullen, make it so that all Inquisition forces in the area defend my clan. I will part for Wycome on the morrow. Sera, Solas, and Cassandra are coming with me."

Cullen was no longer in any position to bargain or plead, and simply gave a subdued "Yes, Inquisitor"

She stomped away from the War Room, fuming, but also dying inside.

As soon as she was a respectable distance away, her advisers immediately started discussing with one another. They knew that nothing they would say or do would convince the Inquisitor otherwise, but still they bickered if there was a way to, as Josephine suggested, call upon other allies and convince them to help the inquisitor's clan, or, as Leliana suggested, create a smokescreen of scouts which would help the clan retire to safer places. Even Cullen gave his suggestion to send more soldiers along with her, but everyone knew all they would do would be to hamper the party's advance.

* * *

 

Dawn had not even broken and the Inquisitor's party was already on horseback, passing slowly and groggily over Skyhold's portcullis.

Her advisers had come to her, late at night, to give her the three recommendations they had deemed acceptable. Leliana's "Smokescreen" had been the only help Andarine had accepted for her clan, and even then it took a great deal of convincing her about how she had nothing to lose and everything to gain. _No more._ _They will not get them. I will save them._

 They were nearing Wycome after just two days, admittedly because of the same style of hard riding that Lavellan had preferred when returning to Skyhold. Just a few rolling hills were in the way before they would reach the destination Harding had marked on her message, supposedly where her clan was. 

That's when they saw the fire. Smelt the blood. And heard the screams.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plz no kill me, Lavellan fans.
> 
> (To be fair, it would be harakiri, i'm like super fanboy)


	3. Run, Rabbit, Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm dying inside. My poor heart cannot take it anymore. Plz help

The first thing they saw was a group of Inquisition scouts covering a group of Dalish which were escaping from the carnage that was clear in the distance. Lavellan spurred her horse, riding harder and faster than she ever thought possible, trying to reach the small group before something happened to them. Again. She reached the scout-circled group at lightning speed, finding Scout Harding in between all the mess.  
  
"What happened?" she bellowed to be heard over the din of the raging battle. A voice not Harding's,but Istimaethoriel's responded. "They were all traitors. Someone bought them, and they turned against us."  
  
_Oh no. no no no no no._ This couldn't be happening. She had done everything on her power to stop this, and it had still happened. _Oh creators why..._  
  
Another voice snapped her out of her thoughts, an alarm that made her draw and raise her knives. "They're coming! Protect the Inquisitor's clan!" She raised her head and saw a force of nearly a thousand men running down the hill. On closer inspection, the force was not moving in a regular manner, and there were bouts of infighting in the main force.  
  
Not all of them were corrupted. A small consolation  
  
The scouts and the Inquisitor's group formed into a wedge to try and intercept the incoming force while the remaining Dalish fled. She tried to call out to the soldier's still loyal to her cause, but it seemed the resistance had been quelled by the other group.  
  
The groups clashed.  
  
For a moment, there was no Inquisition. No Dalish, no companions, no betrayal, no sadness, no heartbreak. Only the sweet sound of double daggers puncturing flesh time and time and time again. _Now is the hour of our victory._  
  
Then, reality came flooding back. The overpowered scouts had fallen back, and only the circle of the Inquisitor and her companions stood before the traitors and total defeat. The group desperately fought, and fought until the bodies around them were beyond counting.  
  
But people aren't machines. Solas backed off first, his mana completely expended. He routed to meet with the Inquisitor's fleeing clan. Sera, now without cover, also fell back, giving Lavellan a sorry look as she fled back to the hills. At the end, Cassandra and Andarine were back to back, fighting against unending hordes of traitorous men.  
  
Cassandra was flagging. Lavellan could feel her striking her blows slower than normal,shielding herself sluggishly and recoiling after every attempted hit. She felt when she went under, the force of myriad blows on her shield after she collapsed and fell. Not dead, exhausted.  
  
Lavellan went into a fury. She leapt into each enemy using reserves of energy she no longer possessed, her anger manifesting in the form of blows to every enemy on her reach. She saw the scouts, fully healed, charging again to defend her. She saw a group of soldiers pursuing the remaining members of her clan.  
  
 But she no longer had the energy to fight. She felt a stinging feeling on her stomach, and looked down only to see a blade thrusting outward from her stomach. A hilt of a sword hit her on the head and she fell, just as the scouts finished their charge.  
  
She was bleeding to death. She wanted to die. She had no reason to live anymore.  
  
  
_Please don't die Inky!! Please!! I need you!!_  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Ar lath ma, ma vhenan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Inquisitor loses it because of the death of her clan. Fluffy angst with Sera, and Blackwall/Josephine makes a cameo

She was dead, dying, dead inside. She lay on the floor of the camp from which the group had set out just that very morning. She was barely moving, only the clockwork breaths which hitched her chest showing to the outside world she was still alive.  
  
 She had a group consisting of basically every important person in the Inquisition surrounding her, some praying, some worried, and one blond elf, distraught, openly weeping in a secluded corner of the tent.  
  
She had been found in the center of a circle of bodies, a sword protruding from her stomach and an entire legion's worth of traitorous soldiers dead at her feet. She had been found barely alive, and she had been brought to the camp, saved only by Solas' healing magic.  
  
She had not woken up despite the best attempts from the healers, and inside her, she felt nothing.   
  
She knew something bad had happened, something had gone wrong. Oh, but the sweet dreams took the edge out of hard deeds and dulled both literal and metaphorical blades. She did not want to wake up. And yet, a few words bounced in the back of her head, permeating even here.  
  
 _Please don't die Inky..._  
  
 _Please..._  
  
 _I need you..._  
  
That was the only thing that made her wake. Hours later, when the fire had burned down to mere embers and most of the group had retired to sleep, she finally awoke. She had expected to be alone, but Sera was there the moment she had moved as much as a single muscle. She was there, kneeling beside her, holding back the tears that had swamped her the whole day, embracing her lover as if to prove to the universe nothing could separate them.  
  
Lavellan only had the energy to lift her hand and put in in her lover's lap, both communicating in unspoken words. And in that moment, touch was all they needed.  
  
That instance of perfection was broken when a scout entered the tent, saw the scene in the floor and gasped, running towards the main camp where the others were asleep, nearly shouting her news.  
  
She had fallen asleep again, this time with her both hands wrapped around her lover's, and she expected to wake in the same manner. When she opened her eyes again and saw the crowd, she tried to flee, only to discover she couldn't command her legs. She looked at the crowd, bewilderment written all over her face.  
  
She recognised The Iron Bull, Cassandra, Solas, Dorian, Cullen, Leliana, and in a more faraway corner, Blackwall and Josephine, looking at her, but with their arms crossed in the others' back, their postures almost ready to kiss.  
  
It was Sera who broke the silence, barking orders to the members of the Inquisitor's inner circle, while pulling her on her feet and wrapping an arm on Lavellan's shoulder.  
  
"C'mon. Let's go over there and we'll talk, yeah?"  
  
"Yes, Sera" Lavellan's response was almost inaudible  
  
Sera led Lavellan to the chair and she sat there, slumping against the backrest waiting for Sera. She came back a small time later, with two mugs of what appeared to be hot tea. She sat in the other chair and offered a cup to Lavellan. She accepted, taking a big gulp of the mug. It was unusually sweet.  
  
The tea did wonders to her throat, making her voice stronger and soothing everywhere it touched  
  
"I... I... Thank you, Sera. I mean, I-I..."  
  
And then the realisation hit her.  
  
"I would be alone in this world now. If it weren't for you"  
  
"No need to thank me, Shiny. I'm here if you need to talk. If you don't, s'well too. I understand"  
  
"No, No, I just"  
  
Unbidden memories of Keeper Deshanna, of the cries of the children and the noises of the halla invaded her mind. She started crying.  
  
Sera got up from her chair and hugged Lavellan tightly, all the while muttering sweet praises and caressing her lover's hair  
  
Lavellan tried to use her legs to hug her as she had done many times before, only that now they weren't responding.  
  
"Sera?!" Her tone was half wary and half dread.  
  
"I'm sorry Inky!! At least we can spend more time together!" And then, Sera started crying.  
  
She at first didn't understand what she was saying. Comprehension dawned on her, but with it, a terrible drowsiness.

 _So that's why the tea was so sweet. Oh Sera..._  
  
Her last thought before succumbing to the throes of sleep, a futile effort to raise her legs  
  
 _I cannot not be the Inquisitor anymore. Not like this_  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my "Pilot" fanfic and my first warmup to creative writing. I'm shit and I know it :)
> 
> Also, I have written (Or am in the process of writing) another fic, called And then it all came crashing down, which you can find here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/5081543/chapters/11685989
> 
> P.S For those who didn't understand, Lavellan is now paralysed from her legs down

**Author's Note:**

> Please, if you read this "Thing" leave some feedback and constructive criticism!!


End file.
